Siemens Gamesa and Aalborg University are leading a new research and development initiative that aims to cut the cost of offshore wind power by demonstrating and testing new technologies.
The i4Offshore project – officially known as ‘Integrated Implementation of Industrial Innovations for Offshore Wind Cost Reduction’ – is backed by an almost €20m grant from the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
It will test a new Siemens Gamesa offshore turbine, as well as a 1000-ton bucket foundation, a steel jacket, a concrete transition piece and cable connection.
The aim is to prove that the technology is “reliable, and that production, transport, and installation can be done more cost effectively than today”, Siemens Gamesa said.
Siemens Gamesa senior specialist in offshore technologies and project lead Jesper Moeller said: “Our constant focus on innovation – along with strong partners, customers, and support such as from the EU – enables us to push the industry forward, delivering a lower Levelized Cost of Energy and higher annual energy production.
“The R&D work we’ll do during this project has clear goals of benefitting our customers, ratepayers, and society-at-large.
“Using a suction-bucket foundation benefits whales and other undersea life by eliminating the sound waves which hammering causes.
“Also, once the wind turbine has exhausted its many years of operational life, the suction buckets, jacket foundation, and transition piece can be decommissioned and removed relatively easily. The materials, including steel, concrete and cables, can be re-used in a highly resource-efficient manner.”
Other partners in the project include Universal Foundation, Bladt Industries, Per Aarsleff, Salzgitter, Windar Renovables, Dr Techn Olav Olsen, NKT Cables, Sintef Ocean, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, Maersk Broker, Deugro Danmark, Fred Olsen Windcarrier and Technical University of Denmark.
Aalborg University professor Lars Bo Ibsen said: “One of the challenges of offshore wind energy is that the high cost of building offshore wind turbines has necessitated various governmental subsidies to improve the business case.
“While all forms of industrial power generation receive governmental support, whether from renewable, fossil, or other sources, our project aims at making offshore wind energy even more cost-effective without external financial support.
“We already have a lot of pieces that we know work separately. Now we are in the process of assembling them into a large puzzle, and testing that they work together.
“As this is proven, we look to demonstrate to customers, banks, and investors that offshore wind makes even more financial and environmental sense for the future.”